If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

&lt;&lt;As an otolaryngologist with 15 years' experience, I have had more than one occasion on which a victim of ear candling has presented to my office with excruciating symptoms caused by melted wax adhering to the eardrum. This often necessitates minor surgery and puts the patient's hearing at risk&gt;&gt;

I've done it on myself. The rules are you never let the candle burn down to where any hot wax is going to get near your ear. It's a very nice experience (if you stop before you get too low and you have a paper plate to catch any drips from the side). I don't believe all of the claims for candling, but I can definitely hear better for a while. I think the results may be temporary though. You do need someone to help because you have an open flame and you can't necessarily see it well while doing it on yourself.

If you use some oil in your ears to lossen the wax and then candle your ear and then clean it you will get a lot more soft wax out.

I've done it before and had no problems, take a small paper plate cut a hole just big enough to fit the tube thru it, deffinently have someone helping, lay w/one side of your head up, and light the tube, have the person helping cut the burned part away every so often, and put the flame out before it gets within two inches of your ear. To see what you have gotten out cut the portion that is left and look at all the wax and junk.
It used to be done w/birtch bark coated w/pitch then canvas w/wax, now paper coated w/wax. The 'candles' can be picked up at health stores and they should be able to explain more.
Neat experance.

&gt;To see what you have gotten out cut the portion that is left and look at all the wax and junk.

I guess I'm not convinced that the junk came out of my ear. I think it's just as likely that it came out of the candle. But still it is a very relaxing experience and your hearing is noticably better for a little while. Maybe it's just the flush from the heat providing more blood to the inner parts of the ear. As I mentioned, I think it's very effective used in conjunction with ear drops from the drug store. Use the drops for a few days and finish up with the candle.

Also, obviously, as mentioned above you DON'T want hot wax running down your ear, so your helper should make sure to put out the candle before it starts dripping anywhere close to enough to run in your ear.

I tried it recently, just out of curiosity, and it didn't work at all on me or my wife. It may be that my using earplugs keeps my ears clean already, so there wasn't anything to clean... but any junk seen in the candle came FROM the candle, which I see how some people can be misled. The principle of how it works is sound though- it definately heats the wax and pulls a vacuum on it... you just have to have some wax.

For anyone reading this that is not familiar with ear candles they are a special type of candle. They are usually made of linen or muslin and rolled into a hollow cone. This is gently inserted into the ear insuring that a good seal is made.

A paper plate shield is placed low on the candle to catch falling ash. The head is tilted to one side with the candle held between two fingers below the shield much as if it were a cigar.

A slight vacuum will be created. Warm air will be felt in the ear. Do not break the candle to ear seal until the candle has burned down to just above the shield.

It is a highly recommended that someone be present when doing this for safety reasons. Also they can light the candle for you after you have a seal. I like to keep a large disposable glass, full of water nearby to dunk the candle into to extinguish it.

Avoid going outside for several hours on a cold day after candling, if you must go out put a couple of drops of sweet oil in the ear for protection.

You can usually unwind the candle stub to see what kind of gunk was pulled out, do it over a newspaper to avoid a mess. To check to see how clean burning your ear candle is buy three. Burn one as a control down to around 3 inches while just holding it.

Allow about 20 minutes per ear. Ear candles can be purchased with additives such as tea tree oil. This process is a little smokey so you will need some ventilation.

Knuckleheads that get wax in their ear are usually using real candles. I know no one in this forum is going to be that stupid.

Please note this is just a quick overview. Ask at your health food store for more instructions. They may even do it for you for a small fee.

\"What gets measured is not always important, and what is important cannot always be measured.\"<br />-- Albert Einstein

I've done it, it works.
However, there are now Illegal to sell in Canada.

No joke.

It seems that all of our social ills stem from the rampant abuse of ear candlers and thier
shady dock side dealers. Also, be it known that ear candling is considered Gate Way Candling.
Over indulgence leads to the use of Hard Candling like navel, nose and butt.
And belive me pepole, no one wants to see the tragic injurys resulting from immoral butt-candling.

I don't agree with the karma concept. My ears were plugged terrible and I had great success with ear candles. once my wife got done stompin on my head to put my hair out and I got all the wax out of the living room carpet I heard very clearly when she said "get those da"n thing out of my house". It was fun while it lasted though!

BubbaBob you got that right. She actually bought the things after she asked me something during the superbowl and I said I wasn't ignoring you I think my ears might be plugged. I'm not going down that path again. I'm sure someone (other than me) should do some more indepth of the whole Wife foot-Karma thing. My wife is actually woking on her Brown Belt in karate which may have contributed significantly to the harmonic hum I was hearing afterwards.